 Trip & Me on our wedding day August 31, 1996 |
 Trip & Me May 2002 |
 Alison, Mom & Me on May 30, 2004 |
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 Becky, Alison & me about 1978 |
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| Trip |
Sasha |
| Elliot Louis
Mitchell |
As you read these pages, I'm sure you are learning plenty about my family, but I thought I'd share a little more about myself. I live with my husband, Trip, sons Elliot, Alex, & Nathan and my cat Robin in Bradley Beach, NJ. We are still very close to many friends and familly members in Ocean Grove, NJ, just two blocks north of here. My hobbies are:
I grew up in several places in New Jersey, but I love the shore the best. I
eat a mostly vegetarian diet.
I run a food co-op so that I can get my natural and organic foods at wholesale
prices, and I earn a little money from it. I am VERY organized, even though
my house gets pretty messy sometimes. My favorite music is old 70's rock and
disco, and I generally love female singers and songwriters. Politically, I call
myself a Liberal Progressive. A lot of people
ask me how I have time to do the things I do. Part of the reason is that I am
capable of operating on very little sleep, and when I'm really driven, I will
stay up till the wee hours for several days in a row, but I always crash eventually.
The other reason is that I follow along with the Flylady.
She is a woman who runs a free site that helps people keep their homes and lives
in order. All I can say is, it works!
I have lots of hobbies, as you can see above, and believe me, they aren't cheap!
I decided to keep a wishlist
on Froogle. An evil genius thought this
up to use the power of the internet to let people fantasize about stuff and
actually keep track of it for when their friends and family are wondering about
the perfect gift!
In the past year I have been feeling kind of sad wishing I could raise a little
girl, and it's put an awful strain on me as I have been grieving about it. I
never realized that I would feel this intense longing and sadness about not
having a little girl to mother. I think we could manage fine and would be wonderful
parents to just one more child even though things are a little tight for us.
Trip has a lot of valid concerns about being responsible for another child,
and doesn't want to consider it for now. The best Trip and I have come up with
is that some point in the future, I will be able to work out of the house and
we will be in a better financial position to support an addition to the family.
I'm hoping that when the time is right, someone who has a baby girl will decide
to let her join our family. Every time I have considered the possibility that
it will never happen, I just cry. So I'm working through this as well as I can.
I visited the website of a woman who counsels people who need help regarding
issues of fertility, conception or adoption. She recommended making an altar
or some other physical space to focus your energy. I made a little
box and I can honestly say that the process was very healing for me, and
even now if I feel sad, I can look inside and smile.
I was quite depressed this winter, and looking back I can see that I was pretty
bad off for a while. I'm still struggling with weight loss, but I'm feeling
much better about life in general. I have been keeping my blog, lately about
once a week. For now I've been on a pretty even keel. I love the days of summer
and I have had some nice visits with friends lately. My friends are so sweet
and kind, so many times they've supported me, comforted me, partied with me
or just shared some good venting - I love them all.
I am still mulling over how I can focus some of my energy on one of the creative works I enjoy and make some money to support our family. Friends always tell me, you should do this for a living - finding lost loved ones, family history research, family photo archiving and sharing, sewing, card making. I love doing those things, and I know some people would love to pay me to do them, but I'm just not feeling focused about any one thing. (Part of that is related to my 3 little boys, no doubt). I will figure something out one of these days, I'm sure.
Y Listed below are some of the women who helped me while I grew up - and encouraged me on my way to where I am today. They all hold an extra special place in my heart.
Mom - for being a good mom (and grandma) and teaching me so much about life, Alison - for being my constant companion for most of my life, Jean - for welcoming me into her family with such love, Grandma - for providing a home away from home so many times, and for loving me so much, Grammie - for encouraging my artistic abilities, teaching me to follow my dreams, and turning me on to the New York Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle, Mrs. Nicenson, my first grade teacher - for encouraging a love of reading, Mrs. Dempsey, my fifth grade teacher - for thinking I was special, Stephanie - for being my best friend since 4th grade (and still being there), Michele - even though we've only known each other for 3 years(!) I can tell that you are a forever friend. It is heaven knowing I can pick up the phone and within minutes she will have me smiling. We are very like-minded. An honorary sister. A lifeline in times of trouble. And a breath of fresh air when I need to vent. Camille - my cousin, just a few months older than me and not just a few inches taller, she has been one of my closest cousins and a great friend, Jodi - my best friend from college, we had so much fun (sometimes too much), but you're still a great buddy no matter where you roam, Olivia - you were the first to see my romance with Trip bloom, and you helped me keep my sanity and my smile when I worked in New York City - no small feat! I miss you! Alice - for helping me out when I needed a friend (and a job), Madeleine - for hiring me on the spot, helping me learn all I could, letting me work independently, and being a good friend, Trish - for encouraging me in my sewing and being an example of a woman who could have it all -a good marriage, several independent careers, creative talent and happy, successful children.
